Wireless LANs are ubiquitous today in both the professional world and our personal lives. Besides our homes and offices, Wi-Fi can be found in retail stores, hotels, airports, coffee shops, bookstores, libraries, schools, and other locations. Besides simply connecting laptops to Wi-Fi networks, people are increasingly using these networks to access the Internet from their mobile devices.
Providing free Wi-Fi access, or Amenity Wi-Fi, has become lucrative for many businesses since customers use free Wi-Fi as a convenience criterion when choosing establishments to patronize. For this reason, demand is increasing for Wi-Fi at retail locations.
In brick and mortar retail stores, where smartphones are continuing the trend that e-commerce started, in-store sales are influenced by online interactions. More and more frequently, that influence is taking place within the aisles of a brick-and-mortar store via mobile websites and smartphone apps. Whether done inside or outside the store, smartphones play an important role throughout the purchase process: in researching and choosing products, comparing prices, and checking inventory. They bring instant intelligence that lets informed purchases happen faster and changes the nature of impulse buying.
In the past, the shopper's path to purchase was a linear process. The shopper entered the store entrance, meandered through aisles of merchandise, and proceeded to the checkout aisle to pay. The shopping experience has changed. The smart phone allows omnichannel shopping—simultaneous online research and shopping while in the aisles of brick-and-mortar retailers. Shoppers routinely compare prices, research products, and purchase from e-commerce websites while in the physical brick-and-mortar store.
The new ‘omnichannel’ path to purchase encompasses a varied combination of online and in-store shopping tactics, driving the need for retailers to have web-like analytics for their stores that can provide insights into this new behavior. Retailers need a Wi-Fi analytics service that enables them to embrace omnichannel shoppers and make data driven decisions that will shape the future of shopping.